An experimental drug called daraxonrasib is generating major excitement in pancreatic cancer after early trials showed it could significantly extend survival in advanced disease.
The drug targets RAS, a protein long considered “undruggable” and mutated in more than 90% of pancreatic cancers. In a Phase 3 study, patients receiving daraxonrasib plus chemotherapy had median survival of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for chemotherapy alone. Earlier-stage data published in the New England Journal of Medicine also showed prolonged disease control and survival in metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Researchers and oncologists described the therapy as one of the most significant advances in pancreatic cancer treatment in over a decade, particularly because current outcomes remain extremely poor and effective therapies have been limited. The drug has already received FDA fast-track status, and researchers are now exploring its use earlier in treatment as well as in other RAS-mutated cancers, including colorectal and lung cancer.